in love with the devil
by Sixteens
Summary: There is hope even for the hopeless. — Sasuke/Sakura.
1. seven devils

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_See I've come to burn your kingdom down_

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Run, run, run. It was worth all the strength Sakura possessed to push her limbs forward, to skip to another tree branch and escape her inevitable faith for just a little longer.

She was going to die.

Her heart tightened in her chest as she continued on her useless run, imagining the crimson red eyes behind her, boring holes of hatred in her back. He was after her, he was so close she could faintly hear his feet touching the branches behind her. He was mocking her, she knew. He was chasing her only to watch her frightened gasps for air, to see her heart slowly breaking in two and the light going off in her eyes as he finally broke her spirit.

It was awfully sadistic and heartless. Just like him, she realised, as another dull ache stabbed her heart. What wouldn't she give to get back to her genin days, when Sasuke wasn't beyond hope and she loved him blindly, refusing to acknowledge any of his flaws. It had been easy and nice back then. Naive, probably, but Sakura was beginning to think that knowledge wasn't always power. Especially if knowledge could hurt in such excruciating way.

Run.

She stumbled slightly, falling awkwardly on her feet on the branch. She hissed in pain as she twisted her ankle, but a second later, she was leaping in the air again. She wasn't going to give up. She was going to run until she couldn't move her legs anymore — or until he got annoyed and plunged a chidori charged katana through her heart.

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_And no rivers and no lakes, can put the fire out_

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Fear crawled inside her when she noticed that the trees weren't endless. There was a clearing up ahead, and she knew that this was the place where she was going die. She looked up at the sky — the sun was high in the sky; bright and hot, the air was warm and laced with the smell of fresh nature, the birds were chirping happily around her — she could think of worse places to die.

She landed on the ground, amidst the green grass and held in her wince when pain shot up her leg. Her natural instinct was to charge healing chakra and remove the pesky pain with a wave of her hand, but for some reason she decided not to. She clenched her hands in fists and spun around, waiting for Sasuke to make his dramatic entrance.

He didn't disappoint.

He fell from the trees and landed on the ground a few feet away from her with his katana ready for a strike, the slight breeze ruffling his hair and shirt. He gazed at her with eyes no longer filled with apathy but hatred and cruelty. The pattern of his Eternal Mangekyo was both malevolent and beautiful to her eyes. She felt her guard raise just by looking in those eyes but she knew that she had no chance of surviving. She couldn't escape.

"Sakura." He drawled, hissing slightly. He looked her up and down critically, and instead of feeling self-conscious like she did in the past, she only felt anger build up inside her. He was looking at her as if assessing how easy would it be to kill her. Judging by his smirk, he thought it would be quite easy.

Oh, to hell with no fighting! Maybe she had no chance of beating him, but she had a chance of hurting him and that was quite the nice prospect to her at the moment. She wanted to punch that smirk off his face and possibly fracture a few cheekbones while she was at it.

Chakra flew down the chakra paths in her right hand and it continued until her hand started to glow light blue.

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_I'm gonna raise the stakes; I'm gonna smoke you out_

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"Sasuke." She said, just before she leaped towards him. She wasn't surprised when he dodged her fist easily and spun around with his blade heading straight for her heart. He wanted to end his quickly, it seemed. Sakura leaped out of the way and landed a few feet away. Her hand glowed green as she reached for leg, relieving her ankle from aching pain. Sasuke followed her movements disinterestedly, twisting the katana in his hand expertly as he waited for her to be done.

She gritted her teeth and straightened her position. "Why?" She asked, not knowing if she was supposed to expect an answer. She didn't know this person anymore. "Why now? Why me?"

His eyes narrowed slightly and he stopped playing with his katana. The corners of his lips turned up a little. "It's not personal, Sakura." He said, his twisted smirk widening into a grin — such an unnatural sight on his face scared her. "But wherever you are — " He paused and his eyes flicked to the trees. "Naruto is sure to follow. He's been avoiding me quite annoyingly lately. I suppose he's scared. But I have found I way to bring him to me." He raised his katana and pointed it at her heart. "_You.__"_

Sakura sucked in a breath. She didn't know why she felt the slight pang of disappointment. After all, it seemed just like Sasuke to use her as a way to get to Naruto. Maybe she'd expected to be important enough to him to want to kill her for his own personal reasons? It sounded twisted but what could she possibly expect from this Sasuke? Nothing good could come from him. Not anymore.

"Naruto won't come." She said, hoping that her voice came out strong and confident. Naruto _would _come. They both knew he would, but Sakura felt faintly protective as she said those words. Naruto had become incredibly strong but she wasn't sure if he could end Sasuke's life. She had no doubts about Sasuke and that scared her. "He doesn't know I'm gone." Lie, he was there when Tsunade sent her to scout the boarders yesterday. He knew something was wrong if she didn't return tonight.

"I find that hard to believe." Sasuke said, his eyes shining with anger. "He always kept tabs on you. I doubt that had changed over the years."

"You don't know anything!" She screamed. She took pleasure in the anger he displayed and the twitching of his fingers. He was being expressive, much more than she remembered, but she supposed madness did that to a person. "Naruto won't come. You can kill me now but he won't." Her hands started to hurt from squeezed them so tightly. "You don't know him anymore. You — " Sakura swallowed, preparing to utter one of the biggest lies in her life. "You're not that important to him anymore."

"Don't lie to me." He spat venomously. Sakura was surprised to see his right hand shaking slightly. When he noticed where she was looking, he tightened his hold on his katana to hide the shaking of his hands. He took a step forward and the air was filled the sound of thousand birds chirping. Sakura watched as the shiny blade was slowly enveloped in cracking blue chakra, twisting and flickering. "I'm going to kill you, Sakura and I'm going to enjoy it. And when Naruto comes — " Suddenly, he was in front of her. "I'll kill him too."

Sakura jumped out of the way just before Sasuke could plunge his deadly blade through her. She didn't get way unscathed. The tip of the blade graced her stomach, creating a small, possibly superficial wound. Blood slowly soaked through her red shirt as she took in a deep breath and her hands glowed green. This time, however, Sasuke didn't seem inclined to wait for her to heal herself. He jumped towards her with his katana ready.

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_Seven devils all around you_

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"Die!" He screamed.

Sakura leaped backwards, just barely getting away. Sasuke didn't let that stop him and he was onto her again. Sakura was grateful more than ever about her training with Tsunade. Her shishou had put a special emphasis on dodging and it certainly came in handy now.

"You can't run forever." Sasuke growled in annoyance.

He sounded far too close for comfort, so Sakura pushed from the ground while pushing chakra in her legs. She was breathing heavily as she landed on her feet away from him but she didn't waste her time on regaining normal breathing but in shattering the earth in attempt to get some time to heal the small cuts Sasuke had made. They weren't fatal but if she didn't heal them, she'd keep losing blood and eventually she'd become dizzy and her movements sluggish. She couldn't allow something like that now. One tiny mistake on her part and she was dead.

She took refuge high in the trees, between the lush crown of the trees and brought her glowing hand to her stomach. The wound closed quickly under her expert hand and she moved towards her legs and arms. Her breath was caught in her throat when the tree next to her suddenly exploded in a million of splinters. She jumped out of the way and landed on another tree, looking around her for a sign of Sasuke.

"Got you." A male voice breathed from behind her.

"No." She screamed and spun around with speed that was fueled by adrenaline and nothing else. She slammed her chakra infused fist in Sasuke's stomach. She caught his eyes widening for a split second before he flew in the air and between the trees, shattering a couple on his way.

_Now_, she thought,_ now I run. _She spun on her heel and headed back towards Konoha. She wasn't stupid enough to think that she'd get another chance like this one. She caught him by surprise and this was her only chance to get away, or to put enough distance between them to summon a slug and sent a message to her shishou.

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_Seven devils in my house_

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Believing she was safe for a bit, she began to perform the hand signs for the summoning technique.

Bear. Dog. Bird. Monkey.

Before she could perform the last sign, she felt piercing pain shot through her stomach and then her muscles went numb. Her eyes widened as she looked down at the blade poking from her stomach, the blue chakra lazily flickering over the bloodied metal.

How..

She hadn't even sensed him coming!

She stood frozen in crouched position, the hairs on her body standing up at the sensation of having him behind her back. His shadow loomed over her and she wished she was able to turn around and look at him. She wanted to be staring in his eyes before she let out her last breath. It was a masochistic move on her part but no matter how much she hated what he'd become, she still loved him, deep down.

She wished was strong enough to safe him from himself but she wasn't.

Never strong enough to help him.

"Naruto is close." He hissed behind her, twisting the blade inside her. Sakura choked and spat a mouthful of blood. "He'll arrive just in time to see you die."

"He'll kill you." Sakura whispered. "He can control the Kyuubi. You have no chance."

He twisted the blade again, causing Sakura to choke again and let out a strangled sound. She could feel her organs tearing inside her. It was such a sick feeling that if Sakura had the strength, she would have vomited. Instead, she spat more blood, her disgust growing when the metallic taste of blood filled her mouth.

"I will kill him." Sasuke spat. "And then, I'll kill everyone in Konoha. Everyone you have ever loved and cherished." He bent down and moved her face towards him, using only one finger. He smirked, titling his head to the side. "It's a pity you'd be dead before I get to your parents. You've always been desperate to _understand _me."

Sakura's heart clenched painfully in her chest. Just when she thought his cruelty couldn't surprise her anymore. "I hate you." She shrieked. She coughed and blood dribbled down her chin. "I hope you die!"

"No, you don't." Sasuke said, his smirk broadening. She reached out and whipped the blood off her chin with his thumb. He looked at the crimson liquid staining his thumb with clinical interest. "You love me still. This is why you can't kill me." His eyes flicked back to hers. "You're pathetic, Sakura."

Sakura felt like he had stabbed his deadly katana right through her heart. She looked down at the puddle of blood, her blood, and squeezed her eyes shut. Her breathing was becoming shallow, her heart beat slower. Soon, she'd become dizzy.

"I told you to forget me." Sasuke went on. Sakura wanted to tune him out. She didn't want to hear anything else coming from his mouth but he continued, disregarding her feelings completely. "But you never listen. See where that got you, Sakura?"

When Sasuke didn't speak, he leaned forward, his warm breath fanning against her neck. How many times had she dreamed about something like this? To have him close; close enough to touch, run her hand through his hair and kiss him? But this was only a parody of the closeness she'd imagined. The only kiss she'd be getting was the kiss of death, and it wouldn't be even from Sasuke's lips.

"You're going to die. Naruto won't be able to save you this time. How does it feel to be so weak?" He twisted the blade again and Sakura let out a tiny sound of pain, accompanied by two tiny tears that fell from the corner of her closed eyes. "How does it feel to be so useless?" His voice had taken on a gleeful note. He took pleasure in the physical and emotional pain he was causing her. He truly was a monster. "Crying won't help you, Sakura." He grabbed her chin roughly and turned her face towards him. She kept her eyes closed, the tears slowly drying on her cheeks. "Look at me." He demanded. "Open your eyes."

She didn't. She squeezed them shut tightly and refused to obey his demands. She needed one act of defiance, as pathetic as it was.

He sighed deeply in annoyance. "Don't be stubborn."

Sakura didn't budge.

His grip on her chin became painful. She was sure that he'd leave marks on once he released her.

"Fine." He said and pushed her backwards. She fell on her back, grunting when her back hit a small stone. She realised that his katana was no longer inside her and tried in vain to charge healing chakra in her hands. She stopped when the sharp tip of a blade was pressed against her jugular.

"Stand still, Sakura." He crooned maliciously. "Naruto is very close now. Try to stay alive to watch me kill him."

"Shut up." She said weakly. Her thoughts were swirling in her head and she was grasping on the last straws of consciousness she had left. It'd all be over soon. She could feel the coldness starting to spread from her toes and up her legs. She was becoming numb. Soon, her heart would stop and she'd cease to exist.

How incredibly cruel.

She'd never imagined she'd die by Sasuke's hand. The man she loved with all he heart, despite her better judgement. The man she'd literary die for. The man she was willing to kill and live on with the guilt for the lest of her life, just to save him from himself.

It all meant nothing to him. She meant nothing to him.

She was just a minor setback. An annoying fly that never seemed to give up flying in your face until you killed it.

She swallowed weakly.

_I'm so sorry._

She didn't know why she was apologising and to whom but it didn't matter. She'd made enough mistakes in her life for this apology to be towards everyone she'd somehow wronged, including herself.

"SAKURA-CHAN!"

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_I'll be dead before the day is done._

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	2. rabbit heart

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_The looking glass, so shiny and new_

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Sakura woke up with a start, gasping for breath like a desperate fish out of water. Her hands automatically went to her stomach and she felt the familiar fabric of bandages. She looked around wildly and was left both confused and relieved when she noticed she was in Konoha's hospital. She tried to move but the tubes stuck to her arms stopped any movements she might have made. She frowned in frustration and looked up at the bags filled with liquid. An IV and vitamins. Nothing bad could happen if she took them out.

She removed the tubes, only hissing slightly from the small, stabbing pain she felt. She tried to charge healing chakra in her palm and was relieved when she saw the mint green chakra envelop her right palm. She pressed it to her chest and closed her eyes to assess her health.

She was relieved to notice she was healthy. Her stomach had been dealt with by expert hands — her shishou, no doubt — and it was nearly healed. There were no anomalies except for the slight, unusual twitching of her muscles. It was probably an aftermath of Sasuke's jutsu. After all, he'd numbed all of her muscles with his jutsu.

Sasuke!

Her eyes snapped open and she stiffened. She almost forgot! How did she get here? She racked her brain, trying to remember her last moments back in the clearing with Sasuke. Her presence in the hospital dispelled her thought that it had been just a terrible dream. Sasuke had really tried to kill her and he would have succeeded if it weren't for... if it weren't for Naruto!

Right. Now she remembered hearing him yell her name before she passed out.

Panic flooded in her. Naruto had come to save her and he had fought Sasuke. What if he was dead?

She pushed the covers from her body and jumped on her unsteady feet. She swayed slightly and put a hand against the wall to keep herself from falling. The world spun slightly and she blinked a couple of times to get rid of the dizziness. She took a step forward and breathed in relief when she didn't crumble to the ground. She felt so tired!

Her leg muscles trembled with each step she took towards the door but with her training as a ninja, that hardly bothered her. How many times had she trained until she couldn't even feel the trembling anymore?

A triumphant smile touched her lips when she reached the door and reached for the doorknob. Someone else beat her to it, and Sakura leaned backwards when the door open and a nurse she couldn't recall the name of stepped inside. The nurse in question let out a tiny scream when she saw Sakura standing in front of her and her hold on the chart in her hands tightened until her knuckles were white.

"Sakura-senpai!" The nurse exclaimed, closing the door behind her quickly. She reached for Sakura arms and tried to lead her back to the bed. "You need to rest! Tsunade-sama said you shouldn't get out of bed!"

Sakura ignored her frantic voice and refused to budge from her place. Even weakened she was still stronger than the nurse who'd gotten minimal training in the ninja arts. "Naruto!" Sakura said almost frantically, grabbing the nurse's arm to stop her from babbling about Tsunade's orders. "Naruto! Is he alright? Tell me he's alright!"

The nurse blinked, looking startled. "Naruto? Yes, he's alright. He's..." She frowned. "He's around the village somewhere. We barely managed to shoo him out of the hospital yesterday! He's been by your side since your return, Sakura-senpai." The nurse tugged on her arm. "Please, return to bed and I'll answer all the questions you have for me."

Sakura obeyed, seeing no point in arguing. As a medic she knew that she shouldn't ignore the signs of fatigue, like the once she was showing. She needed her rest.

Once she was safely tugged in bed, Sakura started interrogating the nurse. "What happened? How did I get here? How's Naruto? How long was I asleep? Where's..." Here she hesitated. "Do you know what happened to Uchiha Sasuke?"

The young nurse's lips pursed slightly at the mention of Sakura's old team mate but she spoke nonetheless. "A big orange frog transported you here, right in the middle of the entrance lobby. It caused panic, it did. You were immediately recognised and Hokage-sama was called in for surgery. You were in a very bad state, Sakura-senpai." The nurse bit her lip. "Hokage-sama wasn't sure you were going to make it. Even when you were out surgery, she wasn't sure if you were going to wake up. She kept talking about foreign chakra and chakra poisoning but I think no one but Shizune-senpai understood what she was saying. Thank Kami you woke up!" The nurse smiled brightly, but Sasuke was too distraught to smile back.

She knew what chakra poisoning meant. It was miracle she'd managed to recover from that, considering how strong and overwhelming Sasuke's chakra was! She was relieved when she remembered that she hadn't sensed anything weird in her system. There was no foreign chakra meddling with her own. It was all hers.

"How long was I out?" Sakura asked suddenly, looking up with a frown on her face.

"Um, four days." The nurse replied. "It's a fairly short time, considering your injuries! You had lost so much blood and your organs were, well, in a very bad state. Tsunade-sama had to patch up every single one of them before she took care of the rest of your injuries. It was a very long surgery."

"What about Naruto?" Sakura asked, watching the nurse with avid attention.

"Um, Naruto-san's fine." The nurse said. "He had some injuries when he arrived but most of them were taken care of by, um.. the Kyuubi. He was as good as new in a day but he wouldn't leave your bedside! He only left when Tsunade-sama required his presence but he always returned." The nurse smiled, her cheeks flushing slightly. "He cares a lot about you, Sakura-senpai."

"I — " Sakura trailed off, her throat feeling dry all of a sudden. Of course she knew Naruto cared a lot about her! She cared for him, too, but she knew that the nurse had another sort of 'caring' in her mind when she said this. The pink-haired kunoichi played with her fingers awkwardly and decided to bypass the subject before it got more awkward. "What about Sasuke?"

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_How quickly the glamor fades_

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The nurse went stiff at her question. "You know? I better call Tsunade-sama. She can explain everything to you, okay?" She backed towards the door before Sakura could say anything else. "I'll be back in a second!" The nurse yelled over her shoulder before she slammed the door and left Sakura all alone.

Sakura sat in her bed, a raging torrent of emotions having a battle inside her. What was she supposed to feel now? Sasuke had tried to kill her twice, and the second time he'd nearly succeeded. If it weren't for Naruto...

Oh, Naruto.

Sakura buried her head in her hands, exhaling deeply. Why must everything be so complicated? Why couldn't they have been a normal team without all the emotional baggage? How she envied Ino. She still had her team intact, with two team mates who'd do anything for her. None of them tried to kill her. None of them enjoyed torturing her emotionally and watching the blood gushing out her body with wicked satisfaction. They were not monsters.

Her train of thought was interrupted by the door opening and the clacking of heels against tiled floor. Sakura rose her head and smiled faintly when she saw her shishou standing with her hand on the doorknob, looking at her with warm amber eyes.

The Hokage closed the door behind her and walked up to Sakura's bed, raising a hand glowing with green chakra to Sakura's chest. Sakura stood still and waited for her shishou to do her exam in peace. She took a deep breath when her shishou removed her hand and looked up at the older woman.

Tsunade smiled. "Well, you seem to be healing nicely. Your wound is nearly closed up and your organs have all healed fairly quickly with the help of my chakra." She took a seat on the edge of Sakura's bed and put her hands on her lap. "Now, you'll let me talk without interrupting me."

Sakura opened her mouth to protest but the look her shishou gave her was enough to freeze the words in her throat. But that wasn't the only thing that stopped her from speaking. Her shishou looked tired. Not the sleep-deprived sort of tired — though she had faint circles under her eyes — but a weary sort of tired. Her shoulders were slumped like the weight of the world had been dumped on her shoulders.

Sakura was immediately concerned.

"A lot of things happened while you were asleep, Sakura. For fours days the shinobi world was turned upside down." Sakura's eyes widened and she listened with bated breath as Tsunade continued. "Tobi declared war on us. Not only Konoha but all of the Five Great Nations. The only way he'll back off is if we hand over Killer Bee and Naruto. There is no way we'll do that and he knows it." Tsunade sighed deeply. "Most of the village had been evacuated to a safer place, just in case, and every nation is gathering its ninjas to head for war. I've lived through enough wars to know what is waiting for us, Sakura. I never wanted another war to happen. None of us did. But it seems that in the ninja world, it's inevitable."

A crease appeared between Tsunade's eyebrows and she scowled in frustration and anger. "The only good thing is that we've managed to unite as a whole for once. The five nations will be uniting together to fight against Tobi and his forces. I don't know how effective _that _would be but it's still something. For now, the only thing we've been doing is sending teams to gather intelligence on the enemy. Tobi has not yet attacked, which is a relief as we hadn't gathered everyone yet. We believe that he'll attack in a week, which will be enough to gather enough forces and leave our villages. It's needless to say that you need to be all healed up and healthy in a week."

"Of course, shishou." Sakura muttered, disbelief colouring her voice.

"I want to say it'll be alright but as I've said already... I've lived through enough wars. I can't promise anything of that sort. Prepare yourself for a lot of death, Sakura. Especially the death of loved ones. I'm not saying it'll happen but it's something you should always be prepared for." Tsunade's eyes darkened slightly as she said this and her fists clenched. Sakura had no doubt she was thinking about all the loved ones she'd lost in the course of those wars. "Now." She said in a stronger voice, straightening slightly. "about Naruto and Uchiha."

Sakura straightened as well, her expression clearing as she stared at Tsunade, who stared back with a stony expression on her face. "Uchiha is currently in the village." Sakura jerked in surprise, her eyes widening. Tsunade smirked darkly. "Naruto dragged him here when he returned and I've locked him up in a high security cell. None of us is sure of his motives for returning. He refuses to share anything with us. Naruto keeps telling us he's here to help us but those of us who know of his intention to destroy Konoha don't believe him. There must be some sort of ulterior motive behind his actions. There always is with those Uchihas." Tsunade sighed deeply. "I don't have the time to deal with him or the Council which insists on his immediate execution. Considering their past actions and their movements against his family, I'm hardly inclined to listen to _them. _But I can't stall this forever and he'll be punished accordingly. If he doesn't show himself as a non-threat to Konoha, I'll have no other choice but to kill him."

Sakura bit her lip and nodded slowly. What was she supposed to say? She understood Tsunade. She knew how villages dealt with traitors. She and Naruto might want to delude themselves into thinking he was not a traitor but he was and even his rare kekkai genkai wouldn't be able to save his ass if he didn't cooparate.

The worst thing was... Sakura wasn't even sure if she wanted him to.

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_I start spinning, slipping out of time_

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Two days later Sakura was out of the hospital and out and about. She was sad to find that her parents had been one of the first civilians to be escorted out of the village to a safe house, but at the same time relieved. Sasuke's words — _promise —_ about killing them kept replaying her mind every time she thought of them. It was better this way. Especially considering that Sasuke was within the village's walls.

She was walking towards the Hokage Tower, having been summoned by her shishou, when a blur of orange collided with her and pulled her in a tight hug. Sakura inhaled the familiar spicy smell of ramen and the fresh smell of nature and smiled, wrapping her arms around Naruto just as tightly.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" He said quietly in her ear. Sakura nodded in his shoulder, squeezing her eyes to keep in her tears. Naruto gave her one final squeeze before he pulled away and held her at arm's length. "You look good!" He exclaimed with a grin. "Like you haven't been in the hospital at all!"

"I feel good." Sakura replied with a warm smile. Discreetly, she checked over him. She knew that there was no way he was still healing, considering he had the Kyuubi to do that, but she still couldn't help but worry. She smiled wryly, remembering the days when she frequently inflicted injury on Naruto. She still did, sometimes, but only when he was being exceptionally stupid or embarrassing. "Where are you headed?" She asked curiously. "Not Ichiraku again?"

Naruto laughed, rubbing the back of his neck in a sheepish manner. "You know me too well, Sakura-chan! Do you want to come with me?" His blue eyes widened slightly in a pleading expression and he pouted his lips. Sakura laughed, reaching out to ruffle his spiky, blonde hair.

"I can't. I have to meet with Tsunade-shishou. Later, perhaps?"

Naruto's shoulders slumped dramatically and she patiently waited for his response. Suddenly, he perked up and his entire face lit up as he grinned. "Hey, how about I come with you see Baa-chan and then we'll go to Ichiraku together! Huh, how about it?"

Sakura smiled. "Sure, that sounds great."

Naruto's smile widened and they both headed down the street and towards the Hokage's office. There was silence as they walked, and Sakura was immediately alarmed by this. She expected Naruto to launch into one of his breathless recaps of what she's missed, but none of that came. She glanced at him and saw that he was frowning, clearly having some inner conflict. Once again, Sakura was stunned by how good he was at hiding his true emotions. He'd been all cheerful just a second ago, hiding that he really was worried about something.

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_Was that the wrong pill to take?_

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"Naruto? What's going on?" She asked, concerned.

"Huh?" Naruto glanced over at her, his eyes widening slightly. "Oh... it's just.." He sighed deeply, kicking a small rock. "It's the bastard." He said eventually, glancing at her tentatively.

She stiffened at the mention of Sasuke. "Oh." She stared ahead, noting how empty the streets were without the civilians, and how eerie quiet the whole pace was. It was creepy and unsettling. Not right, somehow. Konoha was meant to be full of people; smiling and laughing civilians, with kids running around and accidentally knocking down stuff from vendors, shinobi quietly slinking through the crowds, enjoying the joy they saw on people's faces, a rare sight in their dark lives.

She looked back at Naruto and found him staring at her with sad blue eyes. It was clear that this situation was hurting him just as much as it hurt her. He was just better with hoping with pain. He'd had more practice.

"What about him?" Sakura asked eventually, against her better judgement.

"Well... you know he's not at a good place right now." Naruto said, smiling a little bitterly when Sakura snorted derisively. "But when we fought — well, he kept repeating how he was going to kill me over and over. At some point, I started to believe him, and we got serious. But towards the end, he had the opportunity to kill me but he didn't." Naruto looked at Sakura, and she didn't know how to feel about the hope shining in them. "I don't think he could do it."

"Maybe he just ran out of chakra." Sakura offered, not ready to believe it. She had gotten nothing beside heartbreak whenever she dared to hope for Sasuke.

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_Raise it up_

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Naruto shook his head. "It wasn't that. He was ready to do it. I mean, he had me pinned down and he just had to stab me with his sword. But he didn't. He collapsed next to me, and just laid there."

Sakura frowned. "Maybe he was just exhausted."

Naruto gave her a look. "Do you really think mere exhaustion would have stopped the bastard, if he really wanted to kill me?"

Sakura stayed silent, knowing he was right.

"Besides, he... well, we talked." Sakura's eyebrows rose in surprise. Sasuke was willing to _talk_? Like a normal, rational human being? Well, miracles do happen! "He said that he wants his revenge on the Elders. He said that we let him get rid of them, he'll not harm anyone in Konoha."

Sakura frowned. "We can't do that, no matter how much we want to. Besides..." She swallowed. "I don't think we should believe everything he tells us, Naruto. There's a high possibility of him lying to get what he wants. He's set on getting his revenge, and a little lie is a tiny price to pay for it."

"Sakura-chan-" Naruto began solemnly. "I know that you're hurt because of what happened, but I still believe that there's something good in Sasuke, and that good part regrets what happened. We just have to bring that part of him out again."

"I really want to believe you." Sakura said quietly. "You have no idea how much I want to believe you, but I just _can't. _You don't know what he said to me. How he acted. He was merciless, cruel, awful. He's not the Sasuke we know. He's a monster that almost killed me, and would have, if it weren't for you. I hoped, I cried, I got hurt over and over again, and for what? For him to tell me he couldn't wait to kill my parents, and how pathetic I was for doing all those things for him? I'm sorry. I'm just not like you. I can't handle anymore of this."

"Oh, Sakura-chan..." Naruto pulled her into a tight hug and at first, she just stood there, but then when she felt his trembling, she wrapped her arms around him and squeezed. She imagined they looked quite weird, standing in front of the Hokage tower, hugging each other and near tears, but at the moment she didn't even care. They both needed the comfort. "I'm going to have a talk with him." Naruto said furiously as they pulled away. He looked at Sakura seriously, the determination shining in his blue eyes. "I promise."

.

.

.

_You made a deal and now_

_._

_._

_._

"There's no point, Naruto." Sakura said softly. "Let's just go." She said, turning to walk up the stairs.

"I won't give up!" Naruto shouted as he followed her. "I'd never give up until I'm alive! Not on you, not on Sasuke, not on anyone I know and is precious to me! There's good in Sasuke and we're going to bring it out, and damn it, we'd beat him to a bloody pulp if we have to!"

"Naruto, stop shouting!" Sakura hissed as a few passing shinobi glared at them.

"But you don't get it, Sakura-chan!"

"No, you don't get it, Naruto!" She snapped, whirling around. Naruto halted abruptly, staring at her with wide eyes. "You weren't there! It was terrifying. He stabbed me with his katana and he kept saying those awful things and twisting it in me and enjoying the pain he was causing me! He nearly_ killed_ me. For a second time! How do you expect me to forgive and forget that, Naruto? Huh? Do you think I have no feelings? Do you think I'm so blind and stupid that I'll forgive Sasuke everything he does? If you do, then you don't know me at all!"

"No, that's not what I —"

"_And _he tried to kill you so many times, Naruto! He tried to kill the people you love. He threatened to kill _everyone _you know. I don't know how you have it in you to still hope for him to become better! I don't anymore. I've been hurt too many times. And you can hate me for it, and not speak to me because of it, but I'm _done. _I can't do it anymore."

.

.

.

_It seems you have to offer up_

_._

_._

_._

"What is all this racket?"

Both Naruto and Sakura jumped when they heard Tsunade's voice. The blonde Hokage poked her head from the door a little down the hall and glared at them.

"Get in here, you two." She said sternly, and disappeared inside.

Sakura and Naruto exchanged looks — or in Sakura's case, a glare — and went into Tsunade's office. Sakura immediately stiffed when she felt a chakra signature so painfully familiar, she felt it was a part of her. And it had been, for a while, not long ago. The hairs on her body stood up and she flinched when she felt his eyes on her. What was he doing there? Why wasn't he locked up the cell with the highest security available.

"You two are acting like children again." Tsunade said from her seat behind the grand desk. Sakura sighed when she noticed all the paperwork on it.

"Where's Shizune-senpai?"

"In the hospital still." Tsunade replied, looking at the stacks with hatred. "She'll come back here when you are in condition to lead the hospital again."

Sakura began to protest. "I'm in a —"

"Shut up and listen." Tsunade interrupted in a no-nonsense voice. Sakura clamped her mouth shut and frowned, but kept quiet. She glanced at Naruto, surprised that _he _had managed to keep quiet for so long. She found him staring to his right with an unreadable look on his face.

Sakura didn't dare look at the person he was staring at. She could feel his eyes on her, and she hardly wanted to meet gazes with him.

It hurt so much, that things had come to this. Once upon a time, she loved staring into Sasuke's eyes, getting lost in their bottomless blackness. But now? She didn't even want him to look at her. Because she was afraid of him.

Terrified, even.

But the ugliest and scariest thing of all was that she still loved him.

.

.

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_But will it ever be enough?_

_._

_._

_._


End file.
